Nets Get Thrown by Bulls

The Nets' Brook Lopez and the Bulls react after Chicago took a last-minute lead.
defghdfb

By

Alex Raskin

April 4, 2013 10:50 p.m. ET

The Nets didn't just lose to the visiting Chicago Bulls, 92-90, on Thursday night.

They blew a 16-point first-half lead to a potential first-round playoff opponent that has a realistic shot at assuming the fourth seed in the East, which would rob the Nets of home-court advantage in the first round.

And did we mention the Bulls were without center Joakim Noah, power forward Taj Gibson, shooting guard Marco Belinelli and point guard Derrick Rose?

Despite all of their failures over the second half, the Nets still had a one-point lead with 32 seconds remaining, but a turnover by center Brook Lopez allowed Bulls guard Nate Robinson to hit the go-ahead shot at the other end of the floor to give Chicago a 91-90 lead.

Lopez had the chance to tie the game at the final buzzer, but his baseline jump shot rimmed out and the Nets (43-32) watched their lead over the Atlanta Hawks (42-34) and Bulls (41-33) for fourth in the East grow uncomfortably close.

But the Nets had more than just a win on their minds. Joe Johnson had missed the previous five games with heel and quad problems, and interim coach P.J. Carlesimo knew he needed to bring the six-time All-Star up to speed.

"The No. 1 priority would be for Joe to be healthy and playing minutes and us getting used to him being on the floor again," Carlesimo said before the game.

Johnson, who was making his first appearance since the Nets' March 23 loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles, still seemed affected by his injuries, although he did hit three second-half three-pointers to finish with 12 points.

Things were particularly bad for Johnson in the first half as he failed to make a field goal. But just as they did during the Nets' 5-3 road trip, Lopez and Deron Williams happily carried the load.

Lopez had 18 points on eight of nine shooting in the first quarter to help push the Nets' lead to 26-13. He would ultimately finish with 28 points on 10 of 19 shooting.

Five of Williams's first seven assists went to Lopez, including one dish that resulted in a two-handed slam that gave the Nets a 47-36 lead heading into the half. Williams finished with 30 points and 10 assists.

Johnson had been the Nets' rock in the backcourt while Williams battled ankle problems over the first half of the season. He didn't miss a game until the Feb. 22 loss to the Houston Rockets, but since then he's averaged just 14.5 points in 36.5 minutes per game. Before that, he was playing just under 40 minutes per night, averaging 17 points per game.

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.